How is wrestling scored?
“You can get two points for taking an opponent down. You can get a criteria of near fall points, two or three if you expose their back to the mat. For a longer period of time you get a three point and for a shorter period of time a two point. If you are in the bottom position and you escape you would get a one point.”

How is the scoring used in wrestling different than in other sports?
“Maybe in a sport like basketball, for a two point or a three pointer. Where in wrestling you get two points for a take down, you can get near fall criteria. If you pin the guy, you put his shoulders to the mat and you pin him and it’s over. For instance in basketball if you shoot a half court shot, it isn’t over. In wrestling if you pin them then the match is over.”

What do wrestlers get points taken away for?
“You cannot get points taken away. You can get a penalty point if you do something wrong. But, as far as getting points taken away that is a no. You can get points awarded and then if a ref., talks to another ref., then they could take those points back. But as far as misconduct, you do not lose points for that.”

Does the scoring method change for the different kinds of wrestling?
“As far as JV and Varsity the scoring method does not change. If you get into freestyle and Greco then the scoring methods do change. Those are what they wrestle internationally and around the world. So in the Olympics it is freestyle and Greco. But what we wrestle here in high school is called Folkstyle.”

What should people know about wrestling scoring?
“Scoring is based on control. If you have two people wrestling and somebody takes somebody down then that shows control so they are awarded the points. If they can put their opponent’s shoulders to the mat then that’s control so you get awarded more points. The more you have control over your opponent then the more points you get.”